CONTACT: Caleb Tiller | 703-684-0836 ext. 38
Washington, DC (October 8, 2004) -- The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) applauded the passage today by the U.S. House of Representatives of House Resolution 10, the 9/11 Recommendation Implementation Act. One section of HR 10 would require government agencies to consider privacy issues involved in any rulemaking and to include potentially impacted individuals in the rulemaking process. The bill passed with an amendment that would promote the current Department of Homeland Security position of Special Assistant to the Secretary to Undersecretary of Homeland Security for the Private Sector and Tourism.
“Travel and tourism is the number one, two, or three industry in every state in the Union,” said Rep. Jon Porter (R-NV), sponsor of the amendment. “My amendment ensures that DHS has a senior official that recognizes the importance of the tourism industry, and works with the private sector to keep our citizens and visitors to tourist destinations safe.”
“As the representative of the business travel industry, NBTA recognizes that travel security is national security,” said Carol A. Devine, CCTE, NBTA president and CEO. “We supported the introduction of this amendment because it brings travel security to the level of recognition and prominence it should have within DHS, and we trust that an Undersecretary of Homeland Security for the Private Sector and Tourism would give appropriate attention to the interests of the business travel industry at the highest decision-making levels in DHS. NBTA thanks Rep. Porter for his introduction of the amendment and for seeing to its passage.”
“For several years NBTA has voiced the privacy concerns of the business travel community, and we are pleased that this bill will require government agencies to take such considerations into account in the rulemaking process,” Devine continued. “We now urge the preservation of these important components of the bill as it goes to conference.”
Because the Senate passed a separate bill on the implementation of 9/11 Commission recommendations, a conference process will take place to reconcile the House and Senate bills.
The National Business Travel Association is the source for critical information on the business travel industry. For more than 35 years, NBTA has dedicated itself to the professional development of its members through advocacy, education and training, and networking opportunities. NBTA represents over 2,500 corporate travel managers and travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than $170 billion of expenditures within the business travel industry.
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